The horrifying moment a US Survivor contestant was injured and forced to leave the show.

Contestant Pat Cusack was airlifted to hospital after a horrific freak accident occurred.

Although the accident itself was not caught on camera, the frightening aftermath of the injury was, with the 40-year-old property manager seen convulsing and barely conscious on a stretcher.

“It can’t end this way!” he groaned.

“I can’t go out this way!”

But it was clear to everyone that he needed to go immediately, with the show’s doctors confirming they had “no choice” but to rush him to hospital.

Cusack's fellow contestants were distraught. Image: YouTube.

Cuasack's injury occurred after a challenge at sea, when the contestants piled into speedboats to travel back to camp.

When the small boat Cusack was in hit a particularly large wave, he suffered a painful back injury.

"The seas are really rough, and the boat slams down on one of the waves, and we hear a crack, and at first I thought Pat had just hurt his back, maybe tweaked it a bit," fellow contestant Gabby Pascuzzi said during the premiere episode.

Luckily, Cusack didn't suffer any permanent damage from the injury.

Fans who watched the premiere episode yesterday were shocked to see the incident unfold.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonightearlier this week, New Yorker Cusack explained how confronting it was to watch the episode.

"I have no recollection from the time the accident happened until I woke up on the helicopter at the hospital," he said.

"I knew it was scary, but I didn't know how scary it was. And to see how it was, with the convulsing and my eyes rolling back, and snot coming out of my nose, it was definitely very, very emotional to see."

This season of US Survivor features two tribes, the "Davids" (the underdogs) and the "Goliaths" (the high achievers).

You can check out US Survivor: David vs Goliath on Thursday nights at 8:30pm on NineGo!

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